Hester Shaw
Hester Shaw is from Mortal Engines. History Early life Hester was born on Oak Island. Physical Appearance Hester has long, copper coloured hair and grey eyes. Valentine describes her as having been a "pretty child". However, she has been extremely disfigured by Valentine's sword attack: a deep scar cuts across her face, twisting her mouth and destroying her nose. She has also lost an eye. Characteristics Personality To the onlooker, Hester presents an intimidating persona: angry, hateful, and violent, with a fierce temper. Those who take the trouble to get to know her, such as her friend, lover, and later husband Tom Natsworthy and their mutual friend Anna Fang, as well as members of Hellcat Squadran, realise that this is a facade to disguise the more gentle and shy girl she would have been had life not treated her so badly. However, Hester undeniably feels little or no remorse from killing or injuring others, usually in self-defence or to protect those she loves. As Hester ages, she becomes harder and does not seem to care for people outside her family. In Predator's Gold, she is willing to betray an entire city to win one person's interest. In A Darkling Plain, she works as an assassin, and what makes her good at the profession is not her skill with weapons, but her ability to kill without remorse. Chronon Abilities Hester is identified as a "Shifter", an individual affected by Chronon particles, which allows them to exist and move freely within stutters in time. When Hester was exposed to the Chronon particles, she learned she could manipulate the Chronon field around her after a violent burst of energy prevented her enemies from shooting her daughter to death. Following this discovery, Hester began to manipulate and control time itself at will. As a shifter, Hester's ability allows Hester to become a blur while dashing, presumably moving fast enough outside the a normal time flow. Additionally, she can create shields to protect herself or freeze an isolated pocket of time to halt anything. Hester's powers allow her to operate within stutters in time; she can pull objects or people also affected by Chronon particles stuck inside the Zero State into her sphere of influence. If the individual or object has not been affected by Chronon particles, she cannot free them from the stutter. Hester's Chronon abilities grow stronger and develop the more she uses them. However, like all shifters, she runs the risk of being negatively affected by the Chronon energy, and eventually will require treatment to maintain a single, solid form in and out of stutters. Relationships Her family includes her husband Tom and daughter Wren Natsworthy. Until Predator's Gold, she believes her parents to be Pandora and David Shaw. Her father, however, is Thaddeus Valentine himself, who had worked with her mother before she married. This makes Katherine Valentine her half-sister. Hester later finds this out during the first book of the Mortal Engines Quartet. An old friend of Hester's is the Stalker Shrike, which is somewhat unusual, considering Stalkers are not supposed to have emotions. He regards her as a daughter because she spent 5 years with him at a young age. Alternate Universe Versions Inferno Regime This version of Hester is the same as her counterpart, but on an otherworldly setting, namely the TRAPPIST-1 System. Her arch-enemy was not Valentine, but Antonio Mancini and Elexis Sinclaire, who were behind the reasons for forming her Regime, which inaugurated a galaxy in which, according to the Hammer of Light, the Shivans would serve as a vanguard. This Regime, allied with the Shivans and races like the UIMS, Galaga, Battura, Bosconians and Sadeen, eventually waged war on the UGSF, GTVA, Coalition and the Army of Light, percipitating the Regime War, a 18-year conflict. Plus, her father was revealed to be Mancini himself. After bloody years of warfare, the Regime was eventually toppled, and Hester fled to the nebula, and finally killed herself in Hell. Mortal Engines-verse This version of Hester is the same as her counterpart, but more on a faitfully setting, on Earth in the far distant future of this alternate universe of Hellcat Squadran. She was still hostile to anyone who came to Earth. Advent-Verse Hester tried to kill Kane and his followers, but her efforts were foiled by the Prime Universe IceBite. Doom-Verse Hester lived in Hell, and tried to kill Kane. She was finally destroyed for good by the efforts of the Doom-Verse Kane. Cyber-Verse Hester aided the remaining Coalition forces. Strangereal-Inferno SiNfinity Regime-Verse This version of Hester is virtually the same as her counterparts in the Mortal Engines-verse and the Inferno Regime-Verse, but on an otherworldly setting, namely the Kepler-62 System. Gallery of Alt Universe Versions Hester_Shaw.jpg|Prime Universe Hester HesterScarBetterDetail.jpeg|Mortal Engines-verse/Advent-verse/Doom-Verse Hester Tumblr_mhxmzhWblu1qhrl63o1_540.png|Cyber-Verse Hester Hester_(1).jpg|Inferno Regime-verse Hester tumblr_mtw42w201e1r3blhzo1_500.jpg|Strangereal-Inferno SiNfinity Regime-Verse Quotes "Come out and show yourselves!" - Hester taunting her enemies Gallery Hester_Shaw_2.jpg